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Latest Research
Research Details
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| Research Title: |
Is bowling workload a risk factor for injury to Australian junior cricket fast bowlers? |
| Type of Research: |
Media Releases |
| Category: |
Policy
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| Keywords: |
Youth
Cricket, Bowling, Junior, Workload, Risk
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| Author(s): |
R J Dennis, C F Finch, P J Farhart |
| Author(s) Bio Box: |
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| Release Date: |
02 February 2006 |
| Research Summary/Text: |
Cricket is one of Australia’s most popular sports. Approximately 70% of players in organised programs are aged under 18 years. Fast bowlers have consistently been identified as being at the greatest risk of injury. Overuse has been identified as a major contributing factor to the occurrence of injury, particularly amongst young fast bowlers whose developing musculoskeletal system is particularly vulnerable. In this study 44 male fast bowlers with a mean age of 14.7 years were prospectively monitored over the 2002-2003 Australian summer cricket season. Workload was measured by frequency of bowling days, days per week and deliveries per day including both formal match play and formal and informal training. Bowling workloads in this study were compared to the Cricket Australia Junior Cricket Policy guidelines.
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| Research Objectives: |
The aim of this study is to ascertain whether bowling workload is a risk factor for overuse injury to Australian junior cricket fast bowlers and to evaluate the appropriateness of current bowling workload guidelines.
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| Research Outcomes: |
Eleven of the 44 bowlers (25%) reported a bowling related overuse injury during the season. There was a trend towards an increased injury risk for those bowlers with a high mean bowling workload as measured by frequency of bowling days, days per week, and deliveries per day.
It was found that bowlers had exceeded the Cricket Australia Junior Cricket Policy guidelines for number of match deliveries per day on 8% of match days and number of training deliveries per day on 42% of training days.
Also of note is that 23 of the 44 bowlers (52%) reported back pain at some stage during the season.
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| Research Implications: |
Parents and coaches should be aware that programs designed for senior fast bowlers are not appropriate for junior players, who may be more prone to overuse injury because their bones and ligaments are not fully developed. Workload guidelines should be specific to junior players.
While bowlers adhered reasonably closely to the match workload guidelines listed in the Junior Cricket Policy guidelines under the umpire’s supervision during matches, in the informal setting the number of deliveries can dramatically increase.
Also, the results of this study indicate that bowling more frequently than every 3.5 days on average during the season significantly increased injury risk. Therefore it does seem that recommended rest days should be added to the guidelines.
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